Game apparatus



Sept. 25, 1934. J. w. MUENCH GAME APPARAIUS Filed March 25, 1933 M y m Patented Sept. 25, 1934 1,974,782 GAME APARATUS 7 V Julius W. Me1ich, Rochester, N.-Y. Application March 25, 1933, Serial o. 662,795

2 Claims. (Cl. 273,145)

The invention relates to a game apparatus.

The object of. the:present invention is toprou vide a simple, practical and inexpensive game apparatus designed for playing various games of chance where a set of dice is employed such as in parcheesi, steeplechase and similar games where the progress is made according to the various spots on a set of dice.

A further object of the invention is to provide lo: a game apparatus of this character where the operation of the dice will be perfectly fair and absolutely beyond the control of the operator with respect to the shufiiing of the dice so that cheating will be effectually eliminated and ablosolute fairness in -the manipulation of the dice assured. 7

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in the construction and novel combination and arrangement of parts herein 2o after fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawing and pointed out in the claims hereto appended, it being understcod that various changes in the form, proportion and minor details of construction within the scope of the wc1aims, may be resorted to without dej3arting from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention. In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a game ap- 3,0uparatus constructed in accordance with this invention.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the same.

Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view of one of the dice shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view of the die shown in Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a detail perspective view of a die illustrating another form of the invention.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view of the same on the line 66 of Fg. 5. Fig. 7 is a detail perspective view of a die illustrating anotherform of the invention.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the same. In the accompanying drawing in which is illustrated the preferred embodiments of the invention, 1 designates a receptacle preferably consisting of an oblong box provided with a glass top wall 2 and having vertical side and end walls 3 and 4 and a horizontal bottom 5. The box Which is adapted to receive a set of dice 6 is preferably provided with a false bottom 7 to form a relatively shallow dice compartment 8. The false bottom is preferably provided with inclined end portions 9 formed integral with glass top of the receptacle.

vertical supporting portions 10 fitting against the inner faces of the end walls of the receptacle and reinforcing the same, as illu'strated in Fig. 2 of the drawing. The upporting portions 10 which constitute attaching portions for the false bottomunay be secured to the end walls of the receptacle by an adhesiva or any other suitable means.

The set of dice is designed to be made of pith, balsa wood, celluloid or any other materialaffected or attracted by static electricity which is produced on the glass top wall by rubbing the same with a Silk cloth (not shown). The static electricity produced in the glass top wall of the receptacle will attract the dice and cause the same to jump upward from the bottom of the dice compartment to the top wall and in order to prevent them from adhering to the top wall and at the same time to cause the dice to rapidly change their positions the dice are provided at their corners with diagonally disposed projections 11 which space the faces of the dice from the top wall when the dice contact with the top Wall.

This will result in the dice jumping up and down a plurality of times depending upon the condition of the weather. In dry weather the static charge will be greater than in weather where the atmospheric conditions are not so favorable and by providing the diagonally disposed points the charge of static electricity will not become exhausted until the dice have jumped up and down a sufficient number of times to insure complete changing of the position of the dice. While the set of dice shown in Figs. 1 and 2 con sist of three dice a single die or any other number of dicemay, of course, be employed according to the character of game to be played.

In Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive of the drawing each die which is provided with the conventional spots has 5 the diagonally disposed projections 11 formed by cancaving the faces of the die. The concave faces of the dice may be of greater or less depth according to the size of the dice and to enable projections of the desired prominence to be provided.

Instead of concaving the faces of the dice to form the diagonal projections, a die as illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6, having flat faces 12 may be employed, and diagonal projections 13 may extend from the corners,of the die to prevent the flat 0 faces of the die from coming in contact with the This will prevent rapid dissipation of the disoharge of the static electricity and insure the requisite jumping or movement of the dice.

In Figs. 7 and 8 of the drawing is illustrated a die 14 having the corners cut off and presenting at the corner portions of the die triangular plane surfaces 15 and forming three corners at each of the corner portions of the die. This cutting off of the corners of the die reduces the area of the faces of the die and increases the number of the angles or corners of the die as the die with the corners cut off Will have three times as many angles or corners as the ordinary cubical die. These corners contact with the glass top and with the bottom of the die compartment of the receptacle and prevent the die from sticking either to the glass top or to the bottom of the receptacle.

In operation the glass top of the receptacle is rubbed with a Silk cloth or other suitable material adapted to produce a static charge of electrcity on the glass top of the receptacle and the die or set of dice within the dice compartment Will be attracted by the charge of static electriety and upon contacting with the glass top will be repelled and a continual jumpng of the dice will be produced s0 that a fair shuffling of dice will be effected without any liability of cheating or unwarranted manipulation of the dice by the player. It will be clear that the element of chance will absolutely control the movement or shuffiing of the dice and that the game apparatus is adapted for general use in all games where a set of dice is employed.

What is claimed is:

1. A game apparatus operable under influence of static electricity, comprising a receptacle including a bottom, sides and ends and also a false bottom to form a relatively shallow game element compartment having a bottom spaced from the bottom of the receptacle and parallel therewith, the end portions of the false bottom being bent and directed upvvardly on an incline to near the top edge of the receptacle, the upper ends of said inclined portions of the false bottom being bent downwardly parallel with the ends of the receptacle and secured thereto and forming shoulders at the juncture of said inclined end portions of the false bottom and the said downwardly bent portions, the upper edges of the side and end walls of the receptacle having inwardly directed fianges with the end flanges thereof dsposed over said shoulders in spaced relation thereto, and a glass top member for the receptacle and Which has its ends arranged between the said shoulders and the end flanges of the receptacles, and game elements Within the shallow compartment and arranged to strike against the glass top and the bottom and the included ends of the shallow compartment on each charge of static clectricity produced by rubbing the glass top with cloth.

2. A game apparatus comprising a receptacle having a glass top, and static electrically actuated game elements all formed alike as to shape and having flat faces bearing game indicia of different values and including projections adapted to strike against the inner face of the glass top and the bottom of the receptacle so as to prevent the faces of the game elements from contacting directly with the glass top and the bottom of the receptacle, whereby a maximum amount of movement of the game elements will be produced by each charge of static electricity.

JULIUS W. MUENCH.

CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTEON.

Patent No. 1,974, 782. September 25, 1934.

JUL1US W. MUENCH.

or appears in the printed speciication of the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows: Page 2, line 95, claim 1, for "included" read inclined; and that the said Letters Patent sheuld be read with this c0rrect0n therein that the same may conf0rm to the rec0rd of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 16th day of October, A. D. 1934.

It is hereby certified that err Leslie Fraze:

(Seal) Acting Commissioner of Patents. 

